Snowflake Fair to benefit Middletown church, Haitian children

South Church’s wares Saturday include holiday ornaments handmade by children

Published
12:05 pm EST, Tuesday, November 18, 2014

South Congregational Church’s annual Snowflake Fair Saturday at 9 Pleasant Street in Middletown will raise funds for the parish as well as the ministry of Bethesda Evangelical Mission USA of Wallingford to aid the children of Restavec Freedom Alliance in Haiti. less

South Congregational Church’s annual Snowflake Fair Saturday at 9 Pleasant Street in Middletown will raise funds for the parish as well as the ministry of Bethesda Evangelical Mission USA of Wallingford ... more

Photo: Courtesy South Congregational Church

Photo: Courtesy South Congregational Church

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South Congregational Church’s annual Snowflake Fair Saturday at 9 Pleasant Street in Middletown will raise funds for the parish as well as the ministry of Bethesda Evangelical Mission USA of Wallingford to aid the children of Restavec Freedom Alliance in Haiti. less

South Congregational Church’s annual Snowflake Fair Saturday at 9 Pleasant Street in Middletown will raise funds for the parish as well as the ministry of Bethesda Evangelical Mission USA of Wallingford ... more

Photo: Courtesy South Congregational Church

Snowflake Fair to benefit Middletown church, Haitian children

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MIDDLETOWN >> A fundraiser for a Haitian charity will coincide with South Congregational Church’s annual Snowflake Fair to be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the church, 9 Pleasant St.

A major fundraiser for church, featuring a silent auction, a cafe, arts and crafts and a bake sale, the event also will offer handmade ornaments to raise money for the ministry of Bethesda Evangelical Mission USA of Wallingford to aid the children of Restavec Freedom Alliance.

Middletown residents Kathy Novak and her husband, Dr. Dan Novak, have traveled to Haiti several times since the 2010 earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region, she said.

“We’ve held many fundraising efforts to help the children and adults through BEM,” said Novak who sits on the church’s board of outreach.

This year, the church will offer holiday ornaments created by local children and fired and glazed by Gary O’Neil, a local pottery teacher. About 50 decorations will be available for a minimum donation of $5 each, Novak said.

After traveling to the region after the earthquake hit in 2010, Novak was shocked by impoverished conditions that the people of Haiti endured. She saw the massive tent city in Port Au Prince and the capital building that was in “shambles.”

“It was something that I’ve never experienced,” said Novak, who thought she’d seen poverty in previous travels to Nicaragua. The level of despair could not compared, she said.

Since her husband is a family doctor and she’s employed as a social worker and therapist at the University of Connecticut Medical Center, the couple thought they would help in every way they could, Novak said.

While many children lost their parents in the earthquake, others were sold into slavery by families, impacted by illness or injuries and felt they had no other options.

BEM runs two homes where the rescued children can live while they grow up, Novak said.

Sometimes children can be reunited with a family, once the parents can manage to get on their feet.

Novak last traveled to Haiti in 2013, working with the children while her husband provided medical care in remote villages and towns.

While volunteers, like the Novaks, often cover their own travel expenses, estimated at about $1,200 per person, the funds raised will help to cover additional costs, like hiring local translators and bodyguards. It also helps support the Haitian economy, she said.

Ellen Graber Donohue, the executive director of Restavec Freedom Alliance, BEM, will also attend the event this weekend, bringing other Haitian art to sell.

In the past, the church has held pasta dinners and other fundraisers, often supported by other local congregations. Novak also sells $5 cards that RSA provides, featuring pictures of the actual children who are former slaves and were saved in Haiti.

“It’s amazing, God provides,” said Novak, describing a harrowing ordeal while stuck with about 25 other volunteers, on a bus built for 14 riders, in a tiny mountain village.

“It was nightfall when a school bus showed up and took us down a steep, steep mountain,” said Novak, grateful for their safety.

The work in Haiti is going very well, and the kids are well-cared-for, Novak said.

Now that the country is getting back on its feet, the government has said it will not rebuild its capitol until all of its citizens are out of the tented living quarters, according to Novak.

The Snowflake Fair is an essential fundraiser for the church, Novak said.

Visit the Snowflake Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at 9 Pleasant St.